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leavin
y silence of the Pierre Hotel suite. It froze Ayla's h
nly hours ago. Shame, hot and prickly, crawled up her neck. She dropped a small, sterile-sealed package containing a single, disposable scalpe
cracking. She grabbed her clutch, her fingers t
her. The heavy thud of bare feet on t
yl
maybe he had whispered it against her skin. She couldn't remember. The memories were a blur of
ntil her shoulder blades hit
sly loose. Water droplets clung to the dark hair on his chest, trailing down the defined ridges of
a. A corner of his mouth ticked up, b
id?" He took a step forward. The
the strap of her dress, pulling it higher on h
nd on the wall beside her head, boxing her in. She could smell him-cedar, expensive soap,
n octave. "Back to Long Island? Back to the hus
d. "That's none o
His eyes dropped to her neck. He reached out, his thumb brushing over a t
ay, slapping hi
pped back, letting his hand drop. "Go on t
nd tossed it into the trash can without looking. "Keep you
r him to say anythi
she refused to look at. She stared at the floor numbers ch
en didn't help. It just fueled the panic taking root in her chest. She hailed a cab, g
It felt heavy, like a shackle made of platinum
sprawling monstrosity of stone and ivy that peopl
heels sounding like gunshots in the quiet morning. She fixed her hair. She pasted
Henderson, the butler, stood there. His face was a mask of profes
said. "Madam is i
h dropped.
house was cold. It was always cold. Spencer liked the air conditioning low, cla
near her lips. She didn't look up when Ayla entered. She just set th
ultured, and laced with venom. "And you look lik
lied. The lie tasted like a
ins our resources and your time. The palliative care reports I review are a litany of complaints and very little progress. I'm
re. The drug regimen Spencer had approved for her Mom... it had always felt wrong. Too passive. The dosages were enough to sedate, not to heal. Ayla had told her
a lia
g his cufflinks. He looked impeccable. Navy suit, crisp white shirt, not
was a
g that mirrored the wreckage inside her. But there was nothing.
said, her voice
isheveled appearance with a sneer of distaste. "
mother, kissing her chee
shifting instantly. "Do tell your wife to pull he
tarts at seven. Wear the black dress. The high-necked one. A
een. He didn't ask why she ha
the door witho
the house seeped into her bones, replacing the lingering hea
tripped off the dress. She turned the shower on as hot as it would go. She scrubbed her skin until
n, she closed her eyes and felt the ph
towel around herself. Her
. A text from an
ur blade, M
ped. The air l
alpel. And he knew
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